The purpose of the Confocal Core is to enhance the peer-reviewed funded research activities of Karmanos Cancer Institute members whose research requires confocal microscopy and related techniques. Capabilities and services include: Confocal microscopy, high resolution conventional light microscopy, in vivo small animal imaging, in situ hybridization, cytochemistry, histochemistry, immunocytochemistry, immunohistochemistry, intracellular trafficking studies, multiple labeling studies (up to 3, soon to expand to 7, different parameters can be studied at the same time) and ratiometric analyses (e.g., intracellular pH and ion measurement studies), as well as three dimensional image reconstruction and quantitative measurements. The confocal imaging system consists of a Zeiss LSM 310 confocal microscope equipped with three lasers, a Meridian InsightPlus confocal microscope equipped with one laser and the newly acquired Zeiss LSM 510 META confocal microscope with 4 lasers and multiphoton imaging capability. The facility also provides conventional fluorescent microscopy through a Zeiss Axiophot Triple-Camera Photomicroscope and the newly acquired Zeiss live cell imaging microscope with the state of the art Apotome module capable of four dimensional imaging (3D in time). In vivo small animal optical imaging is a newly acquired technology made available to the core through the purchase of the Kodak IS2000MM small animal imager. The analytical systems of the Confocal Facility include a SiliconGraphics Octane workstation, 4 Macintosh G4 workstations as well as a Dell Precision 650 workstation with various analytical software and photographic quality printers.